Mower or reaper.



No. 682,875. Patented Sept. I7, |90I.

P. H. LOVE. Y

MWER 0R REAPER.

(Application 4fued ont. 4, wou) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

. (i ZO e AHORA/EVS No. 682,875. Patented sept. I7, mm.A P. H. Love.

Mower: on REAPER.

(Application led Oct. 4, 1900.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shea* mi Noam:rusas co. nam-urna., wnsumoou. u. cA

UNITED STATES 1 PATENT OFFICE. i

'PATRICK HENRY LOVE, OF FRANKLIN, TEXAS.

MOWER OR yREAPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 682,875, datedSeptember 17, 1901.

Application filecl October 4, 1900. Serial No. 31,979. (No model.) l

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PATRICK HENRY LOVE,

. a citizen of the United States, residing at Franklin, in the county ofRobertson and State of Texas, have made certain new and usefulImprovements in Mowers or Reapers, of which the following is aspecification.

My inventionis an improvement in that class of mowers, reapers, dac.,which are provided with endless flexible cutter-bars. The severalfeatures of the improvement are as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of themachine with the finger-bar lowered as in use. Fig. 2 is a perspective'view illustrating the joint in the finger-bar and the adjustment of thelocking device for supporting the outer end of the finger-bar inalinement. Fig. 3 is al hori- Zontal section of a portion of thefinger-bar. Fig.' 4 is a perspective view of one of the reversibleknives or sickles. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the jointed portion of thelinger-bar7 showing the locking devices adjusted for holding the twoparts of the finger-bar in alinement. Fig. l6 is a longitudinal sectionon the line 6 6 of Fig. 5.

The transportingewheels A A are mounted loose on the axle B andoperatively connected therewith by pawl and ratchet b', as shown inFig. 1. Two beveled driving-gears C C are keyed on shaft B and separatedby a space sufficient to receive the smaller bevel-gear D and to allowthe shifting of the said gear according as it is desired to drive thecutterbar in one direction or the other. The said gear D is `keyed on ashaft E, which carries a-larger bevel-gear F at its front end, and thisin turn meshes with a gear G, keyed upon a vertical shaft H, that drivesa cutterbar. The said shaft E is arranged in the portion I of the framewhich is hinged on the axle B and adapted to swing vertically. ,Saidshaft E is adapted to be'shifted laterally at its inner end'to carry'thegear D into and-out j of engagement with the driving-gears C C.

The tongue or pole L is mounted loosely on the axle B. The finger-bar Mis rigidly attached to a frame N, composed of parallel bars which swingon the axle and extend in rear of the same, their rear ends beingrigidly connected. The said finger-bar M is provided with a grooveextending around the same and adapted to receive thetiexible jointedtravol- A ing cutter-bar O. A chain gear P (indicated by dotted lines,Fig. l) is arranged at the int ner end of the finger-bar, and acorresponding gear P (see Fig. 3) is arranged at the outer end .of saidlinger-bar. These similar gears P P are provided with peripheral notchesto receive projections or teeth o, formed on certain links of thetraveling cutter-bar. It is apparent that through the medium of thedriving and transporting wheels A, the axle rB and gear C or'C, and thegearing D E F G and shaft `H rotation will be imparted to the chain gearP and the Iiexible cutterfbar be thereby caused to travel. cutter-bar Ois formed of two parallel plates and carries a reversible knife orsicklevQ, and the several knives work in slots in the lingers of thefinger-bar in the usualway.-

Every second link of the sickle enters a socket in a link of thecutterbarthat is to say, between two screws q2- and is secured in placeby the screw q. By

this means the knives or sickles Q are held y securely and at the sametime are adapted to be removed without difficulty and at a small loss oftime and to be reversed soas to present sharp cutting edges. By thisconstruction and arrangement of the knives Q andby the adaptation ofthecutter-bar for the reversal of its traveling movement it' is apparentthat the machine may be used for a comparatively long time withoutrequiring resharpening ofthe knives, since there are practically fourcutting edges available for use.

In the practical use of the machine the tongue L is supportedhorizontally, and the finger-bar M is supported on the ground ,by wheelsm, (see Fig. 1,) which are arranged at its respective ends.- Theswinging frame I' may be locked down, so that its upper surface isparallel with its tongue, by means of a catch R, which ispivoted to thetongue IOO and provided with a projection for conven- A ienee inswinging the same into position.

rprovided with a rod s, whose rear end is attached to the rear portionof the frame N loosely. It is obvious that by pulling on the lever S theframe N may be raised and also the inger-barraised,as required. Atthesame time the operator may put `his weight on Nat rear of thc seat. Thefinger-bar M is jointed at a point `nearly in front of the innertransporting-wheel A, so that its outer end m may be held raised, asrequired, when the machine is not in use or when the same is to betransported or stored. The construction of the joint is illustrated inFigs. 2, 5, and 6 and also the means for locking the two jointedportionsin alinement. As shown best inFigs. 2 and 5, each portion of theJnger-bar is prdvided with a series of tongues m2 and intermediatespaces or grooves, and the pivot or pintle passes through the alinedseries of tongues'mz, which are in line with the finger` bar. On eachside of the joint and on the under side of theiinger-bar is arranged aslidable locking device V, the same consisting of a flat metal barprovided with tongues and spaces corresponding to the arrangement of thetongues and spaces of' the finger-bar. Each of said locking devices isprovided with lengthwise slots to receive the fastening and clampingscrews t. It Will be seen from Fig.

5 that when these locking devices are adl gerb ar the Said portions willbe held in alinement, as in Fig. 1. To hold the iinger-bar raised at anangle, I employ a hook m4, (see Fig. 1,) which may be hinged to frameNaud engages a staple m5 when not in use. Inv use it engages a staplelm6 on the cutter-bar. The rear ends of the locking devices V areprovided. with transverse nicks or grooves to form handholds forconvenience in adjusting them, as above described. When the portions otthe cutter-bar are alined, the rabbet or gapwhich is necessarily formedon the upper joint is covered by a hinged plate W. (See Figs. l and 6.)

It is obvious that the cutter-bar O must be jointed to adapt it to bendand assume the required angle with the outer end m of the finger-barwhen raised. I therefore provide a joint o at every third short linkwhich has no tooth. It is to be understood that the driver will takecare that the cutter-bar is so adjusted previous to raising the outerend m of the iinger-bar that two of the joints of the cutter-bar shallbe opposite each other and in exact alinement with the joint of thefinger-bar. The cutter-bar is so constructed relative to the gears P Pand to the jointed portion m of the iingenbar that two of the joints ofthe cutter-bar may always be brought into the local relation abovedescribed.

In order to prevent serious damage to the cutter-bar in case of theknives meeting with a stone orlarge root or other obstruction which theycannot sever, I provide a friction-clutch between the shaft H and gearP, which allows the latter to rotate independently in case of need. Ahood m3 is applied to cover the fric tion-clutch and prevent the grassfrom coming in contact with the same. It may also be extended, as shownby dotted lines, Fig. 1, to cover the two iingers in front, or saidfingers may beremoved Valtogether and the hood m3 extended, as stated.The grass tends to lodge on the inner arm of the frame N, and to preventthis I employ the vibrating rake Z. (See Fig. 1.) The rake proper isattached to' an angular rod, which is provided with a crank carrying anantifriction-roller e', and is jourshown.

naled in a bracket e2, attached to the side of the tongue L andprojecting laterally, as The roller z' works in engagement `with thescalloped or sinuous edge of the wheel A', and thus the rake is vibratedwith due rapidity as the machine advances and sweeps the grass first oneway and then the other on the finger-bar M, so that no lodg-V ment isreliected on the frame N. In order to hold the roller in working contactwith the wheel A', I attach a tension-spring as to an upwardly-bent armof the rake and secure the inner end of said spring to the bracket a2.The bracket z2 is secured to the tongue IUO by means of aclamp-screw .e4and may thereo i' fore be readily detached when required. C

The cover of the finger-bar M is made rel movable to allow accessy tothe cutter-bar for examination or repair, &c.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters. Patent, is

l. In a mower or reaper, the combination of the finger-bar having aiixed portion and an outer portion which is hinged to the other so as tobe raised or folded in a vertical plane,-

and an endless traveling cutter-bar arranged within such finger-bar andprovided with transverse joints which when brought into alinement withthe joint of -the finger-bar en,-

V able the cutter-bar to be folded with the latter, substantially asshown and described.

2. In a mower or reaper, the combination of a finger-bar having atransverse joint which permits folding in a vertical plane, and anendless traveling cutter-bar having similar` transverse joints, andchain wheels upon which the cutter-bar is adapted to run, the parts-being so proportioned and constructed that when the cutter-bar isproperly adjusted the joints in the opposite sides of the same willaline with the joint of the finger-bar, subf-V stantially as shown anddescribed.

3. In a mower or reaper, the combination, with a iinger-bar having atransverse joint, of locking devices applied thereto, fixed projectionsof the linger-bar proper which are en-I gaged by such devices, to holdthe outer end of the nger-bar alined with the fixed part, substantiallyas shown and described.

4. In a mower or reaper, the combination, with a finger-bar formed intwo parts, which are joined together and provided at their meeting endswith tongues and intervening grooves, of slidable locking devicesapplied on the sides of the joints and adapted to engage the saidtongues, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a mower or reaper, the combination, with a finger-bar having atransverse joint as specified, and provided with'tongues and intervening grooves at the said joint, of locking devices provided withcorresponding tongues and intervening grooves, and arranged laterally ofthe joint, the said devices being adapted to slide lengthwise, wherebytheir projections may be brought into engagement with the tongues of theinger-bar sections,for holding the outerend of the finger-bar inalinement, as required, substantially as shown and described.

6. The combination with the cutter bar links provided with two verticalscrews placed near the outer edge, and a vertical perforation locatednear the inner edge of the links in triangular relation to said screws,of a lozenge-shaped cutter having its inclined edges sharpened asdescribed, and provided with a perforation at each end, the said cutterfitting between the screws and its perforation coinciding with that inlinks, as and for the purpose specified.

7. The combination of the lozenge-shaped cutter having four bevelededges and a vertical perforation in each end, with the cutterbar havingsockets and a vertical perforation at the inner end of such socket,whereby, when either triangular end of the cutter is placed in thesocket it may be secured by a screw, as shown and described.

PATRICK HENRY LOVE.

Witnesses:

' W. W. WILSON,

TOM M. TAYLOR.

